


The Hard Decision

by freckledandspectacled



Series: Prompt List #1 [7]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, At Least Oswald Doesn't Tell Ed That He Would Have Killed Isabella, Face Slapping, First Kiss, Kinda, Knifeplay, Love Confessions, M/M, Manipulation, Season 3 AU, i guess, there's that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-22
Updated: 2017-11-22
Packaged: 2019-02-05 08:17:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12790494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freckledandspectacled/pseuds/freckledandspectacled
Summary: 14. “Just please be my best friend right now, not the guy I just confessed my love to.”





	The Hard Decision

14\. “Just please be my best friend right now, not the guy I just confessed my love to.”

Edward had left in a hurry after Oswald’s confession, but Oswald was relieved to see that he’d show up to the event. Oswald was presenting an award to an author for his detailed history of Gotham’s sewers… or something like that. The very second it was over, Oswald went to him.

“Edward, I know you’re upset, but you can forget everything I said. It doesn’t have to change anything,” Oswald implored him, keeping his voice low for those mingling nearby. Edward’s shoulders shook.

“Just… Just _please_ be my best friend right now, not the guy I just confessed my love to,” Oswald begged, reaching out and touching Edward’s shoulder. Edward jumped and dropped something. Glancing down, Oswald saw it was his knife, the very same one they’d used to off Mr. Leonard together. The blade was out. Edward quickly crouched and closed it, shoving it into his pocket. He was still facing away from Oswald, shoulders heaving.

“Edward?” Oswald asked, removing his hand and stepping back. Edward whipped around to face him, his lip curling in anger.

“You _were_ my best friend, Oswald,” Edward snarled. Some people mingling nearby tilted their heads, trying to eavesdrop without looking it. Edward noticed, calming his posture.

“You know _exactly_ what you did to change that.” All the blood rushed from Oswald’s face. Edward couldn’t know, could he?

“Let’s not do this here,” Oswald said. He pushed through the crowd, expecting Edward to follow, which he did. He wound through the building to a deserted corner and then abruptly turned and faced Edward. He wasn’t afraid of what Edward might do to him, never had been. He could handle it.

“Now, what did you mean by that? That I know what I did?” Edward’s fists clenched; he opened and closed his mouth and then clenched his jaw. Edward swung suddenly, slapping Oswald across the face. It barely turned his head, but it still stung, though the hurt was mostly to Oswald’s pride.

“You _killed_ her,” Edward wailed. “How could you _do_ this to me?” Edward turned and walked away from him. Oswald could barely feel the heat from the slap, he wondered if it had even happened as he processed what Edward was saying.

“That woman would have been disastrous for you, Edward,” Oswald said, utterly convicted.

“That wasn’t your decision to make!” Edward yelled, whipping back around and pushing at Oswald’s shoulders.

“I love you,” Oswald said. “I did it for love. Sometimes that means making the hard decisions.”

“Hard? Hard for _who_? Not for you! No, this was just what you wanted,” Edward said, pointing his finger at Oswald. “You knew that you could never have me with her in the way, so you got rid of her.”

“So what if I did?” Oswald shouted. “She wasn’t good for you!”

“You don’t get to tell me that!” Edward screamed, pushing him again so hard that Oswald lost his balance and hit the floor, falling into his rear. “I loved her!”

“She never would have been able to love you like I do!” Oswald raged up at him from the floor. “She just got a kick out of fucking a murderer.” Edward dropped to the floor to get back into Oswald’s space, straddling his legs and clenching a fist around his tie to pull Oswald toward him and hiss in his face.

“You don’t even know what love _is_.”

“I know it isn’t playing dress-up to look like your dead girlfriend,” Oswald growled, leaning closer to Edward to create slack in the tie and press his advantage. Edward’s eyes widened, and he leaned back, momentarily caught off guard. Then they narrowed again.

“She liked me before she knew any of that,” Edward said.

“Who wouldn’t?” Oswald said, eyeing him up and down. Edward’s face heated, and Oswald leaned in to whisper into his ear, “But I’ll bet she liked you more, afterwards.”

“Shut up,” Edward said, releasing his tie all together.

“She never loved all of you,” Oswald said. “Not like I do. Not for the _right_ reasons.”

“What reasons?” Edward said, his voice softer already. Oswald knew then that he had him.

“Because you’re loyal, and clever. You help people even when they don’t notice, and you have no qualms about telling me when I’m wrong, or risking yourself to prove a point. You’re braver then you let on, and more sentimental, too. Those are reasons to love someone. Who they are, not what they’ve done.” Oswald reclined on his elbows, wanting to watch it all sink in.

Edward deflated, sinking down on his knees until his weight rested on Oswald’s thighs, staring into the middle distance somewhere left of Oswald. He shook his head clear.

“You still betrayed me,” Edward said. “You went behind my back.”

“I took a page out of your book and went behind your back to do what was in _your best interest_ ,” Oswald said. “I did it because you’re my best friend and because I love you, because you deserve someone who likes you for _you_ , not because they find your past… _titillating._ ” Edward stared off into space again, then licked his lips.

“I should kill you for this,” Edward said, his tone perfectly neutral, as thought they were discussing the weather. He took his blade out again, putting the point under Oswald’s chin. Oswald let him.

“It’s up to you,” Oswald said, calling his bluff. “If you think I deserve retribution for my actions, then by all means: go ahead” Edward observed his face, likely looking for signs of deception. Evidently, he liked what he saw, and the knife was put back into his pocket.

“Did you mean what you said, that this doesn’t have to change anything?” Edward asked. 

“Every word,” Oswald swore. “I don’t want to lose you.”

“You won’t lose me,” Edward said, shifting his weight on Oswald’s legs. “But you won’t be… _resentful_ that I don’t return your feelings?” Oswald takes a second to think before he answers.

“I won’t deny that I’m… a little let down. Unrequited love hasn’t exactly been fun to deal with, but I certainly won’t hold it against you, if that’s what you mean,” Oswald answered. “You don’t owe me anything.” Edward nodded in understanding, considering his words, and Oswald decided there was more he wanted to say.

“Edward… seeing you so despondent these past few weeks has made me feel so… _inept._ I just want you to be _happy_ again. I thought I’d be able to comfort you afterwards and that you’d be fine… but that clearly hasn’t been the case. Still, whatever you need, I’m here for you. Even if— even if what you need is to never see me again. You’re feeling this way because of my actions, but I did for love. I did it because I love you. You should know that.”

Edward looked at his lap and placed his palms on his thighs, rubbing his hands up and down. Oswald assumed he way deep in thought over the choice before him. Edward repeated the motion for close to a minute before he finally made eye contact with Oswald again.

“You don’t have to be let down,” Edward said.

“What?” Oswald said, eyes roving over Edward’s face, trying to draw some understanding from his expression. Edward put both hands on Oswald’s face and pressed their lips together, making his meaning clear.

“It’s not unrequited,” Edward clarified, pressing their foreheads together.

“You… you…” Oswald could not even begin to form a sentence, the heat from Edward’s mouth still lingering on his own.

“I’ve always liked you, Oswald,” Edward said, a small smile playing on his lips as the corners turned up ever so slightly, the laughter lines beside his eyes crinkling.

“You are completely baffling to me,” Oswald decided on. When he imagined a best-case scenario, this had not been it.

“I’m an enigma,” Edward said, raising one brow. “But allow me to elaborate. It was Barbara who told me that you killed Isabella because you loved me. The idea didn’t make any sense to me at the time, because all you’d done was hurt me. That wasn’t love. It wasn’t as though you’d been protecting me from her… but now I understand.”

“You understand?” Oswald asked. He certainly didn’t.

“You were teaching me something about love, just like I once showed you. You killed Isabella because you knew that she didn’t really love me, and you could see it when I couldn’t. You knew that you could have lost me by doing that, but you did it anyways, because… because sometimes love means making the hard decisions.” Edward began to card a hand through Oswald’s hair. “You love me enough that you accepted the consequences of killing her, even in the event that I decided it would mean your own life in exchange.”

“So… what does this mean?” Oswald asked, in complete disbelief that this was happening.

“It means that… it means I can be certain that you really love me,” Edward said. “And if you really love me, then… then it’s okay for me to admit that I love you too.”

“Are you serious?” Oswald said. This twisted logic had been his last line of defense and… and Edward _believed him_. Edward _loved him_.

“I’m not going to thank you for what you did,” Edward pointed out. “You could have just talked to me and spared me a great deal of trauma.”

“I’m sorry for that,” Oswald said. “Truly, I am.” Edward smiled a real smile this time.

“Thank you. Now, although I don’t approve of how you went about deciding what was in my best interest, it’s true that I’ve also hurt you in the past to get you to see the truth. Certainly to a lesser degree, but… the principle that the end justifies the means remains the same. Though it hurts to admit that what I had with Isabella wasn’t love… you’re right, Oswald.”

“I’m sorry it happened this way,” Oswald said. “When you came home that night… I didn’t think I could talk you out if it. I’d tried. You truly believed it was love. Afterwards, I tried to spare you from as much pain as I could and be there for you… but I wasn’t much good at it, was I?” Edward actually laughed, and it was such a relief to Oswald to hear that sound.

“No, you weren’t. The painting was very touching, though.”

“Do you forgive me?” Oswald asked, finally gathering enough courage to cup the side of Edward’s face in his palm. Edward leaned into it.

“I love you,” Edward said. “Of _course_ I forgive you.”

“I promise you, Edward, that as long as I live I will _never_ hurt you again,” Oswald swore, staring deep into Edward’s warm brown eyes. “I love you.” Edward nodded his understanding and sighed.

“Well, life goes on,” Edward said, quickly snapping back into chief-of-staff mode. “We have another function in half an hour, so let’s get going.” He rocked back onto his heels and stood, offering Oswald a hand up.

“Thank you,” Oswald said. “I just have a brief request to make of you.”

“Yes?” Edward said, already eager to please. Oswald pulled him down by his tie, parting Edward’s lips with his tongue. Edward _enthusiastically_ accepted.

“Mmm, that’ll do,” Oswald said, breaking the kiss.

“Will that be all,” Edward asked, a flush high on his cheeks, “ _Mr. Mayor_?”

“That will be all.”


End file.
